Good Morning Garden

Read Matthew 5:17-20.

If anyone were so insane as to suppose that the knowledge of the Truth of Being could put him “above” the moral law, in the sense of authorizing him to break it, he would speedily discover that he had made a tragic mistake. The more spiritual knowledge that one possesses, the more severe is the punishment which one brings upon oneself by any infraction of the moral law. The Christian has to be very much more careful than other people. Indeed, all real spiritual understanding must necessarily be accompanied by definite moral improvement. A theoretical acceptance of the letter of Truth might go with moral carelessness (greatly to the peril of the delinquent), but it is impossible to make any real spiritual progress unless you are trying your very best to live the life. It is impossible to divorce true spiritual knowledge from right conduct.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

There is no getting around the requirement for right conduct on the part of believers. Yes, there is forgiveness and reconciliation. Yes, we can repent and through right action demonstrate our faith. Yet, in the end, we must always strive to be the best person possible and keep a pure heart. And yes, as believers, we are held to a higher standard of conduct and thought. If we are to receive and manifest God’s limitless power and grace in our world, then we must also demonstrate the thoughts, words and deeds that ensure this great power is used as God intended. The result of doing right is joy, while the wages of sin is death. This is serious business and should be taken seriously. Do we want to live in the Garden or East of Eden?

Z gardener

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Read Matthew 5:13-16.

In the fifth chapter of Matthew are recorded some of the most powerful pronouncements of Jesus.

Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14).

It is possible, and, in fact, only too easy, to accept these vital principles as being true; to love the beauty in them; and yet not to put them consistently into practice in one’s own life; but this is a perilous attitude, for in that case the salt has lost its savor, and is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden underfoot.

If you make every effort to practice the teachings of Jesus in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth—not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person within your ken, then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.

If you truly live this life, then not only will you make your own demonstration, in the quickest possible time, but you will be, in a very positive sense, a healing and illumining influence on all around you. You will be a blessing to men and women in remote places and times, men and women of whom you have never heard, and who will never hear of you—a light of the world.

Putting the principles discussed above into practice in every aspect of our lives is the most difficult part of our spiritual development. It runs contrary to every human instinct. Yet each day we do very difficult things to earn a living, raise our kids, keep up our homes and lawns and many other things. If we apply the same will, work and time to following the word of God, we would be well on our way to putting God’s word into practice. And how much more we will receive for our efforts than getting a paycheck or getting the kids to school on time or keeping up our homes. In fact, if we do this, all of our earthly efforts will be ensured and we will be able to live each day in the Garden God created for us spreading light and joy in our lives and in the lives of everyone.

Working on manifesting God’s word,
Z gardener

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What has your religion done for you? For years probably, you have been attending church, reading spiritual books, studying the Bible. Now I suggest that you have a spiritual stocktaking. Ask yourself what difference religion has made in your life, in your home, in your affairs. How much peace of mind has it given you? How much courage? How much understanding? How much opportunity for service? For, make no mistake, real religion does give all these things.

If your spiritual stocktaking does not turn out to be satisfactory, I believe that you will find the explanation to lie in the following law: What you put into your religion, that you get out of it.

If you put in 5 percent of yourself, you will receive a 5 percent dividend or demonstration. If you put in 20 percent of yourself, you will receive a 20 percent demonstration. Complete returns call for a 100 percent investment.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might… (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

“That which you sew, so shall you reap”. We have all heard this, and we should know that it especially applies to our religious life. Just as successful marriages are built on both partners giving 100 percent, so our religious development requires that we give 100 percent. There is no way around this truth. Daily prayer, constant awareness of God’s presence, subjecting our decisions to God’s will and thinking as God would have us think requires focused effort and must be applied with discipline it we are to receive the full benefits of a religious life.

Working the garden,
Z gardener

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Today most commercial flying is done on a radio beam. A directional beam is produced to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he keeps on this beam he knows that he is safe, even if he cannot see around him for fog, or get his bearings in any other way. As soon as he gets off the beam in any direction he is in danger, and he immediately tries to get back on the beam.

Those who believe in the Allness of God, have a spiritual beam upon which to navigate.

You are off the beam the moment you are angry or resentful or jealous or frightened or depressed; and when such a condition arises you should immediately get back on the beam by turning quietly to God in thought, claiming His Presence, claiming that His Love and Intelligence are with you, and that the promises in the Bible are true today. You are back on the beam and you will reach port in safety.

Keep on the beam and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. (Psalm 48:14).

There are so many things that can cause us to get off the beam. Some never turn on their radio and have no relationship with God so they have no beam at all. Some allow life’s static to block the beam and they get off course by listening to the interference rather than the beam. Others just decide to ignore the beam, plot their own course and end up lost and without a course that gets them to their destination.

Happy flying,
Z gardener

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Change is the law of the universe. Without change, the world would not merely remain in a static state, but it would soon become stale and stagnant. Without change there would be no progress, for change is the essence of betterment. It is obvious that to do anything in a new and better way there must be a change.

Many people look upon change with dread and foreboding. But for those on the spiritual path—for those who believe in God and the power of prayer—change is a fuller expression of life.

When a problem or condition arises in your life that indicates a change, rely upon God, and realize that it is not so much that a door has closed on a chapter of your life, but rather that a door has opened on new and more interesting things.

Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 2:15).

So often we find ourselves avoiding change at all costs when in fact, embracing change is the only way to improve our conditions. If we truly trust God, do our best and live in hopeful confidence, change will not appear as a problem, but as an opportunity. Even changes which are caused by sickness, misfortune or tragedy, will be turned to our best good if we turn to God for our direction and follow God’s will. The best way to ensure that any change is good will be to turn it over to God and apply our spiritual knowledge to the task of finding the blessing in the change. Then, whether the change is desired or dreaded, the result will be to our benefit. Embracing God allows us to welcome change and use it for God’s god purpose. Our Gardens need change in order to flourish, grow and provide joy, comfort and peace.

Let it grow,
Z gardener

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Don’t harbor superstitions of any kind, big or little. People often make a fetish of a number or a date, or a keepsake; or they believe certain things bring “bad luck.” This is denying God. The Bible says,
Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).
Because thou hast made the Lord…thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee…(Psalm 91:9-10).

One might ask, “How can a pinch of salt or a lucky rabbit’s foot cause any real problems?” The answer to that is large problems can start in small ways. Just like the addicted person who only started with a little bit, or the embezzler who only wanted a little money, or the politician who was only going to cross the ethical line once. The problem is that when one crosses the line, the line fades and shifts so that it becomes difficult to see if not impossible. The next thing you know, there is no line. Just a Satan told Eve that eating the fruit would cause no harm, we are told by a million voices that it is okay to put other things before God.

Trusting God,
Z gardener

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Don’t try to straddle the fence. If you wish to accomplish anything, you must be single- minded. It will be going the long way around if you first turn left and then right when you really want to go straight ahead.

Let nothing turn you from the path. The Bible says,
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).

“Be strong and of a good courage. Turn neither to the left or to the right, but be ye strong and of a good courage”. How many of us know the right thing to do, but for some reason are afraid to do it? Or maybe we feel too weak to do it. One of the toughest things to do right is to turn our lives over to God . While there may be a million “reasons” that we want to control our own lives, there is one reason to put away the self and follow the Lord. Guaranteed success in all things is the reason. Whether spiritually, physically, mentally or emotionally, we will find our Garden here and forever by submitting to God’s will. If we are to be the creatures God created us to be, if we are to find true peace and joy, if we are to fulfill our destiny, we must single-mindedly follow God’s call to us. If we allow doubt, fear or weakness to turn us from this path, we will remain lost and will be stuck in the land East of Eden. When we have the courage strength and will to stay on God’s path, we will live each moment in our Garden here and with God forever. Almighty God, let nothing turn us from your path. Amen.

Of a single mind,
Z gardener

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IVORY, APES, AND PEACOCKS

The Bible states that five things were to be found around the temple—For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks (1 Kings 10:22).

Then comes the ivory. This stands for undue attachment to a particular teacher, a particular textbook, or a particular church or other organization. It is a mistaken loyalty. It is an unselfish error, but a deadly one. Any religious teacher or writer, however eminent, any church or center, however much beloved, is still but a means to an end. The end itself is spiritual growth.

Recognize with gratitude all the help you receive from any source, but remember that your loyalty is due to God, through your own spiritual development. You must feel free at any time to go wherever you get the most help, irrespective of personal considerations.

The ape stands for bodily temptations such as sensuality, addiction to drink, drugs and so forth. These things are so obvious that the victim cannot deceive himself about them, so that at least he knows where he stands. They can, of course, be overcome by systematic prayer.

The peacock stands for vanity. Vanity may take the form of intellectual pride, or of a snobbish attitude, or the desire to stand in with what is fashionable and powerful. It also includes spiritual pride on the part of those who really are in Truth, and this is worse than any of the other forms.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness (1 Timothy 6:11).

All of these symbols have something in common. They all block us from God-centered spiritual growth. Idolatry of teachers and institutions, dependence on physical gratification or self-inflation will stifle, misdirect and deny the development of our spiritual consciousness. While some may seem harmless on their face, we should remember that the evil one appealed to Eve with a beautiful and delicious fruit not a poisonous and ugly fungus. The best way to overcome temptation is to avoid it and flee when it draws near to us.

Seeking Godliness,
Z gardener

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